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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WIAT) — The family of a 9-year-old Tuscaloosa child mauled by a pit bull is suing the dog’s owners. The child was released from intensive care Tuesday.

Tuscaloosa attorney Paul Patterson said that 9-year-old Titus Wilkerson suffered some of the most horrific injuries he’s seen. He told WIAT 42 over the phone that Titus will require many reconstructive surgeries for years to come.

Wilkerson was attacked on his way home from school on April 1st. Deputies say the dog bit the child on the face, eyes and throat. Patterson told me that doctors had to remove Titus’ right ear but were able to save his left one. The boy’s parents said they warned their neighbors the dog was violent, but they were cursed at and told to leave.

“We are going to absolutely ask for punitive damages against the owner for failing to safeguard kids in the neighborhood,” said Patterson. He says that Wilkerson’s older brother was bitten on the hand by the dog. The child’s parents tried to warn the dog’s owners that he was violent, but say they were cursed at and told to get off their property.